Too often, the arguments over many controversial topics can start to sound stale and overused. In those cases, a breath of fresh air is what you need—a new perspective you haven’t heard before. That’s why Issues & Controversies, the award-winning database designed to inspire thought-provoking pro/con debates, proudly provides access to Fresh Air podcasts on important hot-button topics that are talked about in the news and in the classroom.
Fresh Air
Hosted by Terry Gross, Fresh Air from WHYY is a Peabody Award–winning weekday magazine broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR) that features in-depth interviews and discussions with prominent authors, journalists, and experts on a wide variety of issues. We’ve recently added more than 90 additional new Fresh Air recordings to Issues & Controversies, dating from late 2021 to March 2023, on high-interest topics including:
- Abortion
- Animal Rights
- Authoritarianism
- Climate Change
- College Tuition Costs
- COVID/Pandemic
- Criminal Justice System
- Disinformation/Fake News
- Extreme Weather
- Federal Reserve
- Gun Control
- Immigration
- January 6 Insurrection and Investigation
- Mass Shootings and Mental Health
- MeToo Movement
- NATO and the Russia-Ukraine War
- Opioid Epidemic
- Police Reform
- Renewable Energy
- Right to Die
- Sexual Harassment
- Social Media
- Supreme Court
- Terrorism
- Textbooks and the “Culture Wars”
- Twitter/Elon Musk
- U.S.-China Relations
- Voting Rights
- And more!
These audio articles are all linked to relevant pro/con articles in the database. They include written transcripts and can be accessed via the “Media” tab at the top of each article.
Other Media You Can Find in Issues & Controversies
Fresh Air isn’t the only resource you can find linked to each Issues & Controversies pro/con article. Students and educators will also find:
- Episodes of NPR’s On Point podcast, many featuring transcripts of the recordings.
- QuickTake videos produced by the global information and technology company Bloomberg, covering major topics.
- Oxford-style debate videos from the renowned Open to Debate Foundation series, featuring some of the most prominent political figures, journalists, academics, and experts in the United States and throughout the world on a wide range of crucial topics.
- Overview videos to introduce the topics discussed in the articles.
- Exclusive Enhanced Lessons to help instructors extend the lesson beyond the articles.
- Infographics presenting vast amounts of information in easy-to-access charts, graphs, and tables to make it simple for users to visualize statistics and quickly grasp essential ideas.
- Original stand-alone articles that summarize key court cases—including those decided by the U.S. Supreme Court—on major issues in contemporary society.
- Editorials and opinions via NewsEdge from prominent newspapers and magazines worldwide and across the political spectrum—including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Houston Chronicle, Jerusalem Post, China Daily, Nation, and Atlantic.
- And much more!
What Is Issues & Controversies?
Winner of eight major awards, including Gold distinction in the 2021 Modern Library Awards (MLAs), Issues & Controversies helps researchers understand today’s crucial issues by exploring hundreds of hot topics in politics, government, business, society, education, and popular culture. Updated weekly, with an extensive backfile, Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles—each presenting both sides of an issue clearly, coherently, and without bias—made to inspire thought-provoking debates. Its straightforward presentation of the key facts, arguments, history, and current context of today’s most important and timely issues makes the database an ideal resource for research papers, debate preparation, and persuasive writing assignments.
Are you looking for ideas on how to use Issues & Controversies in the classroom? We’ve got you. Check out the “Four Keys to Using Issues & Controversies in Instruction” PDF today!
Get some Fresh Air today with a FREE TRIAL of Issues & Controversies!
See also:
- FREE webinar: Empower Critical Thinking and Informed Reasoning in Your Social Studies Curriculum: Primary Sources
- Teach Controversial Topics in the Classroom with Issues & Controversies
- FREE webinar: Infobase Quick Hits: Think Critically, Debate Respectfully
- New Bloomberg QuickTake Videos Added to Issues & Controversies
